Last night I was the quiz master at my favorite local quiz night in Bishkek. We had a great turnout of 30 people consisting of locals, foreigners and all ages and professions. This weekly quiz night is a relaxed place to have fun and learning something new. This was my first time to be the quiz master and I am pretty happy with the questions I came up with so I thought I would share them with you. Pay attention to number 11-20; those are about Kyrgyzstan.

Come next time and join us. Every Wednesday evening at 8pm at The Dragon’s Den, 557 Frunze (across from the Grand Hotel, next to Beirut cafe)

Current world events

1. In a recent speech where he said “Americans have a right to be stupid,” American Secretary of State John Kerry also misidentified Kyrgyzstan by creating what has been described by some as “a new country.” The name he made up was what?

• Kyrzakhstan

1. How many U.S. states’ spellings end with the letters IA? (4/5 = half-point)

• 5 : CAL, GA, PA, VA, W. VA

1. What are 3 of the 5 world’s most populous countries in which cars drive on the left side of the road?

• INDIA, INDONESIA, PAKISTAN /followed by BANGLADESH / JAPAN

1. The largest national park in the USA, almost four times the size of Yellowstone National Park, is called Wrangell-State Elias National Park, and is located in which state?

• ALASKA

1. What did Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer recently ban her employees from doing?

• Telecommuting

1. For what project does multi-millionaire Dennis Tito want to recruit a married couple?

• A manned mission to Mars

1. What does a mouse, a turtle, some worms, and a monkey have in common?

• They are all living creatures that Iran has shot into space

1. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose term in office ends this June, indicated he was open to continuing to serve his country in what capacity?

• By also being sent into space

1. Paris, France, recently struck down what out-of-date law?

• A prohibition on women wearing pants

1. Why did an Iran court recently sentence Iranian-American Saeed Abedini to eight years in prison?

• He was convicted of trying to undermine state security by setting up a network of Christian churches

Kyrgyz history and prominent people (at least 1 Kyrgyz language question)

1/2 point for any names where only the first or last name is correct

Money questions refer to the new, 2009 Series, of KG Com.

1. What word in the Kyrgyz language simultaneously means, in the colloquial, “right now, later, maybe never.”

• Азыр

1. In Ala Too Square, after Lenin and before Manas, there was a statue of a woman holding something. What was it?

• A Tunduk

1. What building is featured on the back of the 5000 Kyrgyz Com note?

• Ala Too Movie Theater

1. Suimenkul Chokmorov is best-known for being a what?

• He is a famous Kyrgyz Film Actor, active from 1969-1986.

1. Also the name of a street in Bishkek’s center, who is featured on the front of the KG 20com note? Bonus point if you can say what he did AND what his name means.

• Togolok Moldo - poet, Manaschi and folk song writer. “togolok” means round-faced, “moldo” means an educated person

1. Featured on the 100com note, Toktogul Satylganov is famous for what?

• He was the most famous of the Kyrgyz Akyns - improvising poets and singers.

1. Sayakbay Karalaev, was a renowned manaschi - a reciter of the epic Kyrgyz poem Manas. His portrait adorns which Kyrgyz Com Bill?

• 500

1. In the last federal elections, what level of governmental leadership across Kyrgyzstan was not voted on, because they no longer exist?

• Governors

1. In Karakol there is a mosque with uncharacteristic architecture. Who (as in group of people) are responsible for this architecture?

_ - Dungans_

1. Where is Manas, the epic hero of Kyrgyzstan, buried?

• Ala-Too mountains in Talas Province, but no one knows exactly. Kenizek-Khatun, AKA Kanikey, ordered the secret burial of Manas’s body so that grave robbers could not find it.

World Firsts

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1. The IBM Supercomputer, Watson, which dominated at Jeopardy in 2012, was recently proposed to assist what professional field?

• Medicine (cooking apparently also correct)

1. Who is the modern world’s first woman Head of Government?

• Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) (three times, 1960–65, 1970–77 and 1994–2000)

1. Located at the foot of Mount Emei in China, a world’s first themed hotel reopened this week. What is the hotel’s theme?

• Pandas

1. What car maker celebrated the World’s First Assembly Line Production of Zero-Emissions Fuel Cell Vehicles this week?

• Hyundai

1. Launched on Feb 25 of this year, the STRaND-1 satellite successfully began working this week in it’s orbit around Earth, powered by what companies’ operating system?

• Google! The STRaND-1 satellite combines its Google Nexus One Android-powered smartphone core with a Linux-based high-speed processor in order to control itself.

1. Using a cocktail of three standard HIV-fighting drugs, doctors in Mississippi were able to reverse the infection of HIV by beginning treatment how many hours after the birth of a new born baby?

• 30

1. 20 women participated in a first-ever clinical trail for weight loss which concluded it’s 8-week period in Australia at the end of 2012 combining a controlled eating plan and what exercise?

• Pole Dancing. On average, each participant lost over 5 kilograms during the trial, with one participant losing up to 14kgs and achieving a 47% reduction in her total body fat.

1. Automaker Range Rover recently unveiled the world’s first what?

• 9-speed automatic transmission

1. The world’s first smart ball, which captures 6,000 points of data per-second and transmits it to a smartphone via bluetooth, analyzing force, spin, arc, speed and consistency, was recently announced for what sport?

• Basketball. Called the 94Fifty Sensor elite team system can run upward of $5,000, but they hope to get it to a price point of $295 in 2013.

1. Near London’s Olympic Park, what company recently announced they will build a town with shops, schools, theaters, a hotel and apartments for 6,000 people?

• Ikea

Guinness Book of World Records

1. Japan is home to Jiroemon Kimura, who holds three Guinness World Records titles “Oldest Living Male”, “Oldest Male”, “Oldest Living Person.” How old is he today? Extra point if you are within +- 10 days ⁃ Age 115 years, 321 days

2. On February 22, 2013 in Dublin Ireland, “Today FM Radio” hosted a cancer charity concert where participants were asked to shave their heads into mohawks in what was a successful attempt to have the largest gathering of mohawks in recorded history. How many mohawks were there? ⁃ 257

3. Last month at New York City’s Public Library an attempt for a world record for “Most People Wearing Cat In The Hat Hats” was made. 250 hats were necessary to make a record. How many hats showed up? ⁃ 281

4. According to Guinness World Records, the largest lobster ever caught weighed 20.15 kilograms (44.4 lb) and estimated to be 50 years old. Off what country’s shore was it caught?

• Nova Scotia, Canada

1. The heaviest competing sportswoman living is Sharran Alexander of London, England, who weighs 203.21 kg (448 lbs). What sport does she compete in?

• sumo wrestling

1. The heaviest rideable bicycle weighs 750 kg (1650 lb) and was built in what city and country?

• by Wouter van den Bosch (Netherlands) and ridden in Arnhem, Netherlands.

1. “The most balls juggled” was achieved by Alex Barron (UK), who managed 23 consecutive catches in what is known as a qualifying” juggling run. This feat was achieved at Roehampton Squash Club, London, UK. How many balls were juggled?

• 11

1. From Brazil, now residing in Edinburgh, Scotland, the most-pierced woman in the world, Elaine Davidson, has how many piercings? Point for a number within 100 of the correct number.

• 6,925

1. Felix Baumgartner is an Austrian skydiver who set a world record last October for the: altitude record for a manned balloon flight, parachute jump from the highest altitude, and greatest free fall velocity (first person to break the sound barrier without vehicular power). At what height did he take the plunge? Point for +-500 meters

• 38,969.3 m / 127,852 feet

1. Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia held the world record for “indoor women’s pole vault” of 5.01m until this week when it was broken by a 5.02m vault, by who? Full name and country for 1 point.

• Jenn Suhr, USA

General trivia

1. In the mid-1960’s, playing the role of an undercover agent, he became the first black actor to star in a weekly TV series. Who is he, and what was the name of the TV series? ⁃ BILL COSBY / “I SPY” 1965-68

2. Michael Jackson’s first #1 solo record was the title song from a 1972 film about a trained rat. What was the title? ⁃ “Ben”

3. Baraak Obama is the what numbered American president to be elected by the people’s popular vote? ⁃ (44?) 0! The election of the President and the Vice President of the United States is an indirect vote in which citizens cast ballots for a slate of members of the U.S. Electoral College; these electors in turn directly elect the President and Vice President.

4. This British pop musician, born in 1940, had dozens of hits in Britain, but never met with great popularity in the USA. He is sometimes called the Elvis of England. Who is this superstar of British rock music?

• CLIFF RICHARD

1. Which mythological twins, raised by wolves, were the founders of Rome? - ROMULUS AND REMUS

2. What word with more than 10-syllables refers to the opposition to the disestablishment of the Church of England. ⁃ antidisestablishmentarianism

3. What kind of thin, wispy, feathery looking clouds, located four to twelve miles up, are usually the first sign that a weather front is approaching?

• CIRRUS

1. What is the only month used in the NATO Phonetic Alphabet? (ie. Alfa, Bravo, Charlie, Delta…)

• November

1. This Asian country’s official religion is included in the name of its capital city. What country, what capital city?

• PAKISTAN / ISLAMABAD

1. The first MacDonald’s Restaurant was founded in 1955 by Ray Kroc, in which American state?

• ILLINOIS - suburb of Chicago